''Live'' (stylised as (LIVE)) is the first live album by singer-songwriter
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...
released on August 10, 1993, by
. The double album presents selections from 14 shows during a November 1992 tour. In the US, ''Live'' peaked at number 20 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and has sold more than one million copies, being certified 2× platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
A single-album CD of highlights of the double album was also released, titled ''Best Live''. There are two different versions of this album; a 17-track version was released in 1993, and a shorter 12-track version on June 21, 1994.
On digital distributors such as ''
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
'' and ''
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
'', many of the verbal introductions that were present in the original CD have been cut.
Track listing
All songs by James Taylor except where noted.
;Disc one
#"
Sweet Baby James
''Sweet Baby James'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released on February 1, 1970, by Warner Bros. Records. It reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tapes chart, and includes two of Taylor's ...
" – 4:13
#"Traffic Jam" – 2:10
#"
Handy Man" (
Otis Blackwell
Otis Blackwell (February 16, 1931 – May 6, 2002) was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include "Fever" (recorded by Little Willie John), " Great Balls of Fire" and " Breathless" (recorded by Jerry ...
,
Jimmy Jones) – 3:31
#"
Your Smiling Face
"Your Smiling Face" is a song by singer James Taylor. First available on the album '' JT'', and released as the album's sophomore single in September 1977, "Your Smiling Face" peaked at number 11 in ''Cash Box'' magazine and at 20 on the ''Billbo ...
" – 3:03
#"
Secret O' Life
"Secret O' Life" is a song written by James Taylor that first appeared on his 1977 album '' JT''. It has since appeared on several of his live and compilation albums. It was also included in the Broadway musical '' Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Lif ...
" – 3:45
#"Shed a Little Light" – 4:32
#"Everybody Has the Blues" – 2:33
#"
Steamroller Blues
"Steamroller Blues" (a.k.a. "Steamroller"), is a blues parody written by James Taylor, that appeared on his 1970 album '' Sweet Baby James''. It was intended to mock the inauthentic blues bands of the day. The song later appeared on two of Tay ...
" – 5:30
#"
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
" – 3:32
#"
Millworker
"Millworker", or "Millwork", is a song written by James Taylor. It was originally written for the Stephen Schwartz Broadway musical '' Working''. Taylor's own recording was released on his 1979 album ''Flag'' along with "Brother Trucker", which Ta ...
" – 4:25
#"
Country Road" – 5:44
#"
Fire and Rain" – 4:44
#"
Shower the People
"Shower the People" is the opening track on James Taylor's 1976 album '' In the Pocket''.
Reception
''Cash Box'' said that the song is "a meaningful ballad that will pick up a lot of FM airplay" and said that it has "a way with melody and phrasi ...
" – 4:43
#"
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" is a song by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Motown issued the song as a single on its Tamla label in November1964, and in January1965 it appeared as the title track of Gaye's fifth studio album. The ...
" (
Holland, Dozier, Holland) – 7:29
#"New Hymn" (
Reynolds Price
Edward Reynolds Price (February 1, 1933 – January 20, 2011) was an American poet, novelist, dramatist, essayist and James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University. Apart from English literature, Price had a lifelong interest in Biblical ...
, Taylor) – 3:00
;Disc two
#"Walking Man" – 4:35
#"Riding on a Railroad" – 2:41
#"
Something in the Way She Moves
"Something in the Way She Moves" is a song written by James Taylor that appeared on his 1968 debut album for Apple Records, ''James Taylor''. It has also been covered by other artists, including Tom Rush and Harry Belafonte. The opening line ...
" – 3:59
#"Sun on the Moon" – 3:54
#"
Up on the Roof" (
Gerry Goffin
Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...
,
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
) – 4:10
#"
Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, from his 1972 album ''One Man Dog''.
The song has been included on three of Taylor's greatest-hits collection albums: ''Greatest Hits'' ...
" – 3:37
#"
She Thinks I Still Care
"She Thinks I Still Care" is a country song written by Dickey Lee and Steve Duffy. First popularized by George Jones, the song has been recorded by many artists, including Connie Francis, Anne Murray, Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless.
Geo ...
" (
Dickey Lee
Royden Dickey Lipscomb (born September 21, 1936), known professionally as Dickey Lee (sometimes misspelled Dickie or Dicky), is an American pop/country singer and songwriter, best known for the 1960s teenage tragedy songs " Patches" and "Laurie ( ...
, Steve Duffy) – 3:28
#"Copperline" (R. Price, Taylor) – 4:43
#"Slap Leather" – 2:11
#"Only One" – 4:41
#"You Make It Easy" – 5:05
#"
Carolina in My Mind
"Carolina in My Mind" is a song originally written and performed by the American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote ''Carolina in My Mind'' while in England recordin ...
" – 5:04
#"I Will Follow" – 4:14
#"
You've Got a Friend
"You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song and single by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, '' Tapestry'' (1971). Another well-known version by James Taylor appears on his ...
" (King) – 5:09
#"That Lonesome Road (
Don Grolnick
Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a sess ...
, Taylor) – 2:46
''Best Live'' (17 track)
#"Sweet Baby James" – 4:11
#"Handy Man" (Blackwell, Jones) – 3:34
#"Your Smiling Face" – 2:51
#"Steamroller Blues" – 5:36
#"Mexico" – 3:17
#"Walking Man" – 4:08
#"Country Road" – 5:44
#"Fire and Rain" – 4:33
#"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (Holland, Dozier, Holland) – 6:57
#"Riding on a Railroad" – 2:42
#"Something in the Way She Moves" – 3:59
#"Sun on the Moon" – 3:51
#"Up on the Roof" (Goffin, King) – 4:13
#"Copperline" (Price, Taylor) – 4:40
#"Slap Leather" – 2:14
#"You've Got a Friend" (King) – 5:09
#"That Lonesome Road" (Grolnick, Taylor) – 2:46
''Best Live'' (12 track)
#"Sweet Baby James" – 4:13
#"Handy Man" (Blackwell, Jones) – 3:34
#"Your Smiling Face" – 2:53
#"Shed a Little Light" – 4:17
#"Steamroller Blues" – 5:24
#"Mexico" – 3:15
#"Walking Man" – 4:23
#"Country Road" – 5:38
#"Fire and Rain" – 4:39
#"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (Holland, Dozier, Holland) – 6:58
#"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 3:10
#"Shower the People" – 5:12
Personnel
*
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitar
*
Don Grolnick
Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a sess ...
– acoustic piano
*
Clifford Carter
Clifford Carter (born August 10, 1952) is an American keyboardist, musical director, composer and arranger.
Carter is known for his performances with such artists as James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Michael Franks (mus ...
– keyboards
*
Michael Landau
Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record-producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchel ...
– electric guitars
*
Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar
*
Carlos Vega
Carlos Vega (December 7, 1956 – April 7, 1998) was a Cuban-born Los Angeles-based session drummer best known for his performances with James Taylor. As a part of the L.A. studio scene from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Vega contributed to ...
– drums
*
Valerie Carter
Valerie Gail Zakian Carter (February 5, 1953 – March 4, 2017) was an American singer.
Biography
Carter began her career singing in coffeehouses as a teenager, and eventually became one-third of the country-folk band Howdy Moon. They debuted ...
– backing vocals
*
David Lasley
David Eldon Lasley (August 20, 1947 – December 9, 2021) was an American recording artist, singer, musician and songwriter. He was best known as a touring background singer for James Taylor, as a session singer on recordings by artists including ...
– backing vocals
*
Kate Markowitz
Catherine Judith "Kate" Markowitz (born 28 April 1956) is an American singer-songwriter known as a backup singer who has recorded and performed with a number of singers, most notably James Taylor but also Willy DeVille, Shawn Colvin, Mylène Farm ...
– backing vocals
*
Arnold McCuller
Arnold McCuller (born August 26, 1950) is an American vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He was active as a solo artist and session musician, but is perhaps best known for his work as a touring back-u ...
– backing vocals
Production
Studio credits
* Producers – Don Grolnick and
George Massenburg
George Y. Massenburg (born Baltimore, Maryland c. 1947) is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for submitting a paper t ...
* Production co-ordination – Barbara Moutenot and Ivy Skoff
* Recorded by Nathaniel Kunkel with John Godenzi and Randy Hutson
* Additional engineers – Rail Rogut and Michael White
* Assistant engineer – Rail Rogut
* Mixed by George Massenburg at
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...
(New York, NY) and
Record One
Record One is a recording studio complex in the Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally founded in 1979, the studio has been the site of numerous commercially successful and award-winning record ...
(Los Angeles, CA).
* Mastered by
Doug Sax
Doug Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six Pink Floyd's albums, including '' The Wall''; Ray Charles' multiple ...
and
Gavin Lurssen
Gavin Lurssen is an American mastering engineer. He owns Lurssen Mastering in Hollywood, California.[Peter Asher
Peter Asher (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and re ...](_blank)
* Management – Peter Asher Management
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Live (James Taylor)
1993 live albums
James Taylor live albums
Columbia Records live albums
Albums produced by George Massenburg